Scores escape death as varsity lecture theatre collapses in Bayelsa

Providence averted what could have been the tragic end of some persons when an ongoing lecture theatre building collapsed at the permanent site of the Bayelsa owned Niger Delta University, Amassoma in Southern Ijaw local government area of the state.


Though no life was reportedly lost, a site supervisor was critically injured.

It was learnt, Friday, that the collapsed of the building was due to the alleged use of substandard materials.

A source told newsmen that the site engineer did not comply with standard procedure in the use of materials.

He said,”instead of using eight pans of sand and 12 pans of chipping, 15 pans of sand was used.

” 16mm suppose to be used for the first decking but 12 mm iron rods were used while the pillars were not well cast from the DPC.”

A squatter who escaped death by the whiskers, Madam Oyitari, said she heared a loud bang at about noon on Thursday while drying her cloths under the building.

“I started seeing blocks falling on me, I started moving backward in fear, as if I was dreaming. I later heard loud sound and saw the building down. The blocks hit a part of my arm. I thank God the whole building did not fall on me and no body was inside it, except only one person was on the top floor doing something , he did not die but in a critical state,” she said.

Members of the Nigeria Institute of Architects (NIA) who visited the scene of the collapse building blamed the cause on the use of quack engineers and announced its decision to set up a high powered committee to investigate the incident.

Leading the team of Architects, the State Chairman of the NIS, Stella Raine, said though a high powered committee has been set up to investigate the incident, the NIA have always warned against the use of quacks at construction sites in the state.

“It has been a campaign we have continuously carried out, and we want to emphasize that competent hands are used and strict supervision is carried out on projects,” she said.

A staff who pleaded anonymity said the project monitoring team of the institution had noticed defects of the building and were in the process of rectifying it when the it collapsed.

Vanguard